Staten Island Tech and Petrides earn kudos from U.S. News & World Report

Staten Island Advance file photoPerformance of students at Staten Island Technical High School, New Dorp, has resulted in recognition for school by newsmagazine for three years running.STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Staten Island Technical High School and the Michael J. Petrides School were rated as two of the top schools in the nation today in U.S. News & World Report magazine's third such ranking.

Not only was Tech awarded a "gold medal," it also ranked No. 34 on the America's Best High Schools list. Petrides earned a silver medal but was not placed on the top 100 list.

Headed by Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria, Va., the list featured a total of 12 schools from New York City.

Staten Island Tech has made it onto the list all three years of its existence; last year, it ranked 32nd, while in 2007, it was placed at number 22.

Schools that made it onto the list demonstrated better-than-average student performance, which was determined through reading and math results on each state's high school test. The survey also evaluated whether black, Hispanic and lower-income students were doing better than the state average when compared to other students in those groups. A third step measured college preparedness by looking at the number of students who took Advanced Placement exams and how well they scored on those tests.

Newcomers High School, in Long Island City, Queens, was rated the best of the city's high schools, at No. 6. The High School of American Studies at Lehman College in the Bronx ranked No. 19, while Stuyvesant High School came in at No. 31.

In compiling the report, U.S. News looked at 21,786 public high schools in 48 states and the District of Columbia.

Rep. Michael E. McMahon today congratulated the staffs, students and parents at both schools for their achievements.

"U.S. News and World Report's list just reveals what we all know -- that Staten Island students are receiving a great education," he said.